ELECTROSYNTHESIS OF THIN-FILMS OF CDZNSE - COMPOSITION MODULATION AND BANDGAP ENGINEERING IN THE TERNARY-SYSTEM

This paper concerns electrodeposition chemistry in the Cd-Zn-Se system. First, the thermodynamics for the cathodic electrosynthesis of CdSe and ZnSe were analyzed with the aid of Pourbaix diagrams. Strategies for modulating the Cd content and thus the photoresponse of CdZnSe alloy thin films were developed. These thin films were analyzed by cyclic photovoltammetry and photocurrent spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provided further confirmation of the alloy composition. Finally a ramp-hold method was developed for modulating the composition of these CdSe-ZnSe thin films to generate CdSe-ZnSe-CdSe superstructures. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of securing modulation lengths spanning the submicron regime.